Automatic papes eeedek



Nov. 8, 1927.

J. T. DICKMAN ET AL AUTOMATIC PAPER FEEDER Filed Sept. 2, 1926 Inventors I: DzLcicman and mas L.77 7zeeler A ttarney Patented Nov. 8, 1927.

UNITED stares,

PATET OFFICE.-

JOHN T. DIGKMAN AND THOMAS L- VTHEELER. 0]? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC PAPER FEEDER.

Application filed September 2, 1926.

In this specification and the accompanying drawing we will describe and show a preferred form of our invention, and expressly mention certain of its more important objects. lVe do not limit ourselves to the forms disclosed, however, since various changes and adaptations may be made therein without departing from the essence of our invention as hereinafter claimed; and objects and advantages, other than those expressly mentioned, are included within its scope.

Our invention relates to means for automatically feeding paper sheets for printing, and among its principal objects are; first, to provide an improved device adapted for lifting the central portion of a sheet of paper from a stack of loose sheets to break the effects of static attraction and vacuum; sec- 0nd, to furnish facilities forkeeping the sheet stack in contact with a back-stop to preserve alignment of the sheets; third,'to supply automatic means for advancing the lifted top sheets at the proper time for printing; and, fourtlnto accomplish the above by a relatively simple and inexpensive construction.

Our objects are attained in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred form of our automatic paper feeder by itself;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a rotary neostyle mechine with our invention applied thereto in cooperative rela tion;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 2 where the trigger plate has been removed; and

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the lifting arms and paper table of the construction shown in Fig. 2:

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

WVe have selected for illustration, as indicated above, a form of our invention that is adapted for use with a rotary neostyle. In such machines the printing stencil or type is mounted upon a cylindrical drum 5 having axial journals 6 that are rotatable in bearings carried by the frame 7 of the machine. The direction of rotation of the drum is indicated by arrow 8. The neostyle is equlffiifirl with a paper table 9 on which Serial No. 183,208.

the sheets 10 to be printed are stacked. A back-stop for the sheets is usually provided to keep them properly aligned. We prefer to employ for this purpose a back-stop having a slight forward inclination as shown at 11. The reason for this will appear presently. 1

Our improved paper feeder comprises an upright supporting member 12 of suitable shape. This is provided with bolt holes 13 I so that it may be bolted to frame 7, as shown at 14. The supporting member carries a horizontal slotted guide bar 15, attached by screws 5*, extending outwardly perpendicular to the axis of drum 5. It also carries an operating arm 16 pivotally attached at 17. The top and bottom edges of guide bar 15 are rabbeted or flanged as shown at 18, and its slot- 19 is intermediately recessed as at 20 to allow for lateral displacement of certain of the working parts.

A trigger plate 21, carrying a trigger 22 pivotally mounted at 23 upon its inner surface, is itself pivotally attached at 24 to the outer face of the guide bar. The forward end of the trigger plate is transversely slotted at 25 and. a screw 26 is tapped into the guide bar through slot 25 and limits the angular movement of the trigger plate. A spring 27 engages a pin 28 on the trigger plate and thereby normally holds the plate in an elevated position. I

The operating arm 16 has a radial slot 29 at its free extremity, the edges of the slot being formed with flanges 80 adapted to act asguides. This arm also carries on its inner surface a relatively large triangular cam 31 which. as illustrated, may be made of a metallic ribbon having an edge brazed to the arm. The cam has two concaved sides 32 and 33. The contour of these sides is such that they may be respectively engaged by rollers 34 and 35 on the drum of the ma chine to impart a quick inward and outward movement to the operating arm for each revolution of the drum. The rollers are mounted. at the extremities of a bar 36 at tached by screws 37 to the end of the drum. Obviously the spacing of the rollers and the positioning of bar 36 may be determined in such manner that the extent and timing of the movements of the operating arm may be made as desired.

By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that, with the drum rotating in the direction of eeann arrow 8, the roller 34: will engage cam surface 32 when the former has reached the position shown by dotted circle 3 By the subsequent movement of the drum this roller will cause the operating arm to move in- Wardly and the cam will assume its inner position shown by dotted lines "When roller 3d haspassed the cam, as indicated by the dotted circle 40, the roller 35 has reached the position shown by dotted circle all and is about ready to engage cam surface 33 to push the car-n and its operating arm outwardly. The above sequence of operations is repeated, of coin during e ch revolution of the drum.

The guide bar 15 carries a reciprocating member which i ole thereon. This member has POSlt-lOffllHg flanges engaging rabbets l8, and also a laterally projecting pin a l within slot of the operating arm engaging flanges 30. Thus the inward and outward movements of the operating arm will cause member d2 to travel back and forth upon the guide bar.

Member 42 carries a laterally projecting lug L5 and is provided vertical slot l6 contiguous to the lug. it also has a vertical flange t? contiguous to the other side of the slot. The inner surface of this flange and the opposed Vertical surfaces of the lug are adapted to act as guide surfaces for a roller 48 at the end of the lower lifting bar 49. This bar is intermediately pivoted to the lug at 50. A. parallel bar 51 above is pivoted to the lug at 52. The free extremities of these two bars are pivoted at 53 and 54: respectively to the paper piclr-up device 55. A vertical parallel movement will thus be imparted to the pick-up by vertical move ments of roller 48. A spring 56 on lug 45 presses upwardly against parallel bar 51 and tends to hold the pick-up in its elevated position.

The paper pick-up may be made in a variety of forms as desired. its illustrated ithas opposed horizontal arms 57 at its lower extremity and circular adhesive pads 58 on its under surface the ez-ttremities of the arms. We have found that relatively soft adhesive gelatin is a most satislactoi" material to use for these pads. i i hen pressed against a sheet of paper the gelatin will adhere to it quite strongly enoiigh to raise the sheet and hold it suspended for a indefinite time, and yet quick jerk will. readily brealr the hold of the gelatin and free the sheet.

clid'i so positioning roller that i strained to roll over op s per 22 on the outer s of the recipro '2 ting member Cm return inward stroke the roller merely lifts the tri and passes beneath it. I

The paper stack is so arranged on table 9 that the blow of the piclz-up will be delivered about in the middle of the paper sheets. This will cause the adhesive pads to lift the top sheet from the stack and mo it slight ly outwardly. The outward movement of the sheet however is limited by backstop 11 i the sheet therefore becomes slightly buckled and assumes the shape shown 59 in Fig. -l. Obviously this movement and lfliflv'lllllfj of the top heet will immediately real: and overcome any effects of static attracti n. vacuum, or mechanical adherence of the sheets below. The top sheet is held thus suspended until, on the succeeding inward movement of the pick-up, it is delivered to the printing rollers of the machine. The latter grab the sheet, and jierlrv it in a downward direction free from the piclnup, when the latter has about reached the inner limit of its travel.

li e especially desire to call. attention to the fact that, when the top sheet of paper is being" moved inwardly toward the printing rolls, it is almost wholly suspended. lit does not contact with the sheet below except possibly at the inner and outer edges of the suspended sheet. This very slight contact is insufiicient to shift the underlying sheet and, as alr ady noted, there is no other shifttendency since the electrostatic attrac tion and vacuum effects have been broken by liftin the top sheet in the manner set forth. l l e also desire to point out that the time the pick-up strikes its blow, and for a short time thereafter it is moving out wardly. This has the effect of keeping the paper stack against back-stop it at all times.

.The purpose of mounting trigger 22 upon the pivot-ed trigger plate 21 is to provide a resiliently yieldablc trigger to compensate for varying; thicknesses of paper staclr 10. in the case of a thick paper stack the paper pick-up can not be depressed so far as in the case of a thin stack. The spring .37 will yield and lower the trigger plate and trig ro! sutliciently to compensate for the thickness of the paper sa'aclz.

Having: thus fully described our invention in a manner tl at will make its construction and operation clear to those familiar with the art involved. we claim:

1. A paper feeder comprising; a longitu- .-.inally slotted horizontal guide" slidable upon the guide; an inrermediat-ely pivoted arm carried by the slidable member adapted to swing in a vertical plane and having; one end engaged in said slot; a paper picl-up depending from the free end of said d .11, g k ace of tllg a member ill) arm; and a trigger cam in said slot whereby the end of the arm engaged therein may be suddenly elevated just prior to the end of the outer stroke of the slidable member.

2. In combination with a back-stop for a. stack of paper sheets, a paper feeder comprising; a horizontal guide; a member slidable upon the guide; a dcpressible paper pick-up carried by the slidable member; and means for suddenly depressing the pick-up just prior to the end of the outer stroke of the slidable member to engage the top sheet of the stack and slightly buckle it against the backstop.

3. In combination with a back-stop for a stack of paper sheets, a paper feeder comprising; a horizontal guide; a member slidable upon the guide; a horizontally pivoted arm carried by the slidable member; a paper pick-up depending from said arm; and means for moving said arm to suddenly depress said pick-up just prior to the end of the outerstroke of the slidable member to engage the top sheet of the stack and slightly buckle it against the back-stop.

4. A construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein the paper pick-up has an adhesive under surface.

5. A construction asset forth in claim 1 wherein the paper pick-up has an under Surface consisting of adhesive gelatine.

6. A construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein the trigger is resiliently positioned to yield vertically when the motion of the pivoted arm is strongly resisted.

7. A' construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein the slidable member has cam means associated therewith whereby it may be re ciprocated by orbitally rotatable rollers adapted to engage said cam.

8. In combination with a printing machine having a pair of orbitally rotatable rollers; a construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein the slidable member has cam. means associated therewith adapted for periodic en gagement by said rollers, whereby the slidable member may be reciprocated.

9. In combination with a rotary neostyle or the like having a paper table and a pair of orbitally rotatable rollers; a construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pivoted arm extends transversely above the table and the slidable member has cam means associatcd therewith adapted for periodic engagement by said rollers whereby the slidable member may be reciprocated.

JOHN T. DIGKMAN. THOMAS L. WHEELER. 

